'I need to shelter you'

The problem is that fairy tales don't come true. It's the nightmares that always seem to become the reality.

We'd been back at the boarding house a few hours now and the sun had begun to set and I could feel the sigh of relief building as I knew the day was coming to an end. It would all be over soon and maybe everyone and everything could go back to normal.

I'd sat down by the fire on my own with a large glass of scotch, courtesy of Stefan of course; I'd only taken one or two sips and as it burned my throat it felt good, it felt good that I could feel the sting, I wasn't numb anymore. I could hear the remainder of the people left talk softly, Caroline being the loudest of them all.

"Why didn't he show Stefan?" Elena asked her boyfriend, I could hear the anger and sadness in her voice.

"I don't know I was so sure he would. She needs him and any other time she's needed him he's always been there. This time shouldn't have been any different" He replied to her and like Elena I could hear the worry in his voice and I wasn't sure who he was worried for, me or him. I took another small sip of my drink and felt relief again. I continued to listen to them talk about how he should have shown up and how I needed him and that angered me the most. I made sure that I never needed anyone because this happens, when you allow people to see the vulnerable side of you, most people take advantage of it and he had.

I wanted to kill someone and I wanted to die and I wanted to run as far and as fast as I could because he was never coming back. He had fallen off the face of the earth and he was never coming back.

I stood up taking my heels off and looked down at the glass that was now half empty, swirling it around in the glass and watching it hit against the ice cubes and create splashes that hit my wrist. Smashing it against the fire and watching the fire roar higher with the alcohol added. I lashed out and wiped the statues and ornaments of the top of the fireplace watching them crash to the floor and shatter into pieces. I could feel the anger boiling inside of me and I couldn't stop myself.

Stefan, Caroline and Elena had appeared in the room hearing the noises and as Elena attempted to stop me from destroying the Salvatore's house Stefan wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her back, whispering in her ear softly "She needs this."

I'd moved around the room ripping things from its place and throwing them elsewhere, throwing lamps; pictures, cushions and ornaments in any direction. Causing destruction as I moved around hoping somehow it would help me feel better.

As my arms extended to wipe the contents of a shelf onto the floor a large pair of hands grabbed mine stopping me in me destructive path. His eyes met mine and I couldn't help it as my eyes burned with the tears that had formed and my legs had begun to shake with the weight of my body. I fell towards him and his arms wrapped tightly around my waist as he fell to the ground with me, taking the pain of both of us hitting the wooden floor. I buried my head into his chest as his hand found its way to my hair, stroking it softly as I wailed into his chest. I had found the person I needed, the person who would get me through this and I would come out in one piece.

He nodded for the three to leave and let us be alone; Stefan nodded back and left with the other two.

"I'm here" he whispered into my hair as he kissed it. "I'll always be here"

It didn't seem to comfort me as it usually did instead I let out a bigger cry and held him tighter and he held me closer to him. I cried for everything I could think of, the loss of my family, the loss of my friends so far and just because I couldn't stop the tears, I felt like I'd been crying for hours by the time I'd finally calmed down enough for him to release me from his chest.

He brushed the hair from my face and wiped the dampness the tears had left surrounding my eye with his thumb, he cleared his throat before he spoke to me "I should have been there today" he repeated, each time as soft as the first before kissing my lips tenderly.

In the time that I've known Damon Salvatore I've only ever seen this side of him once for a short period of time, when he was dying from the werewolf bite. He was usually arrogant and egotistical and a dick which in everyone's mind described Damon perfectly. But something about his personality made me feel secure when he was by my side, I felt like I could face the world and not have a care in the world sometimes, other times; I wanted to punch him in his smug but flawless face.

Pulling away from the kiss he rested his forehead on mine and sighed heavily. "C'mon..." He spoke quietly as he placed an arm under my knees and the other arm around my back, lifting me as he stood up. He seemed to be able to pick me up like I weighed nothing to him, like I was nothing but a feather. I clung to him tightly burying my face in his already damp t-shirt as he started to walk gradually over to the staircase, carrying me up the stairs and eventually into his room and placing me on his large bed.

Sometimes it felt like an honour to be in Damon's bed. Yes it was extremely stupid, but to me it felt like someone had chosen me, out of all the girls in Mystic Falls; I was the girl in his bed, I was good enough for him and it made me feel warm inside. It made me feel worthy. Like I was good enough for someone and maybe I was good enough for Damon Salvatore.

He pulled a thin blanket over my body due to the heat outside as I curled up into a small ball on the enormous bed, I watched as he moved around the room possibly looking for something, I watched him for a few minutes before he made his way back over to the bed and sat down beside me and turned to me smiling affectionately. I couldn't muster up the energy to mirror his actions and he understood that and lay down facing me.

I closed my eyes as he started to brush the small strands of my hair that had fallen in front of my eyes back behind my ear; his touched was soft and sweet and it reminded me of a simpler time.

"I've lost him" I whispered in a hoarse voice, from crying or not talking for a long period of time, I'm not sure. Damon said nothing.

"I'm tired of everyone looking at me with pity in their eyes. I'm tired of feeling like my heart is being ripped out of my chest every damned day. I'm tired of waking up in the morning, and then remembering." He still said nothing, instead wrapping his arm around me pulling me closer to him. He was never good with words.

I sighed heavily and closed my eyes.

I looked him in the eye. "I will always love you."

Then I plunged the stake into his chest. It wasn't as precise a blow as I would have liked, not with the skilled way he was dodging. I struggled to get the stake in deep enough to his heart, unsure if I could do it from this angle. Then, his struggles stopped. His eyes stared at me, stunned, and his lips parted, almost into a smile, albeit a grisly and pained one.

"That's what I was supposed to say..."he gasped out. Those were his last words. His failed attempt to dodge the stake had made him lose his balance on the edge. The stake made the rest easy, stunning him and his reflexes.

One week. Everything you love and cherish, can be gone, liquidated, and lost forever in one week. Give or take a day.

A/n-So the next chapter will go into more detail about the mysterious girl, her name, who exactly she is and beyond.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it.